SD-WAN will be offered as a service on the Telstra Programmable Network thanks to a partnership with VeloCloud.
The new offering was detailed as part of what Telstra has described as a “major platform update” for the network.
The telco unveiled the Telstra Programmable Network earlier this year, wrapping software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) capabilities, cloud infrastructure, data centres, and local and international networks together in a single platform.
Telstra said today that businesses can now “shift their branch network into the cloud” by deploying a single Juniper Networks Universal CPE device on site and accessing network services through a virtual marketplace.
“This helps businesses virtualise their physical hardware at each site and simplify network architectures while improving operations and application performance for users and customers,” the telco said.
“This announcement represents an APAC-first for both Telstra and Juniper Networks, and reflects the depth and breadth of collaboration that is possible between Juniper Networks and local service providers,” said Ralph Candiloro, regional VP ANZ at Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks said the upgrade to the Telstra Programmable Network represents the first virtual branch in APAC to be powered by its Universal CPE (NFX250), virtual SRX, and Contrail Services Orchestrator.
“Cloud adoption continues to grow and new WAN architectures such as Hybrid and SD-WAN are rapidly evolving,” said Michelle Bendschneider, executive director, Telstra Global Products.
“Businesses need to constantly adjust in a rapidly evolving technical world, so we really looked at this release from a customer’s perspective with flexibility front of mind,” Bendschneider said.
“The addition of SD-WAN provides a more intelligent layer to that flexibility, enabling customers to do more with their network as they digitally transform their business and scale and deploy additional applications when and where they need to.”
VeloCloud SD-WAN is being offered both through Telstra Programmable Network and as a “more traditional physical solution,”Bendschneider said.
Telstra in March established what it described as a strategic partnership with VeloCloud. Telstra Ventures participated in the company’s Series D funding round.
Alongside Telstra, participants in the round included the Malaysian government’s Khazanah Nasional Berhad fund and previous investors New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Venrock, March Capital Partners and Cisco Investments.